TECHNOLOGY: Visions of Tech Toys Dance in Their Heads…

With the list of cool tech toys in the market ever expanding and the number of holiday shopping days dwindling, gift shopping for the techie on your list can be a little overwhelming. It’s Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone to the rescue! Our tech expert, Adrian Bulzacki, founder of ARB Labs, has created a list of top tech toys in store this holiday season:

1. Xbox Kinect

Wii is so last season. With the revolutionary Kinect motion-sensored gadget, you don’t need anything but your own movement and sound to control the game. Using skeletal tracking, facial recognition, motion sensor and voice recognition, you are in control. And with its release date barely a few weeks old, the Kinect will definitely be the holiday gift for gamers this season.

2. Sony PlayStation 3 Slim

This slimmer, energy efficient, built in Blu-ray, and multimedia-compatible console delivers a big package for an affordable price. All games come in high definition, and it doubles as an upscaling DVD player with Wi-Fi. The total gaming, entertainment system package for less.

Thanks to the dual-motor force, this gaming wheel makes you one with the car. Feel every turn, shift in weight and tire slip. With an easy gear selector, and speed shifter you will be the top driver. The best games to combine this racing wheel with include Gran Turismo™ 5, Need for Speed™: Shift, and Live For Speed.

5. Rovio WiFi Roaming Bot

This little Bot is equipped with a webcam, microphone and speaker for 2-way audio. The wifi connected bot can stream video and audio to your favourite web-enabled browser from anywhere in the world. You control the bot from your PC, your MAC or even your iPhone. Its easily remote-controlled, head-mounted moveable camera allows you to see and hear exactly what is on the screen.

6. Parrot AR.Drone Quadricopter – Flying Video Game

This augmented reality quadricopter is controlled by an iPhone/iPod Touch or iPad, and has a protective shield for fighting battles against your enemies in augmented reality games.

7. Apple iPad

A sure way to satisfy, the popular Apple iPad has not lost its momentum – especially since this is its first holiday season. With its wifi, specially created applications and slim customizable look, this is a great gift for all ages, tech savvy or not.

8. HTC Desire Z

This phone is for the true techie in the family. Not only is this the first stock Android 2.2 available in Canada, but it is also the first of the second generation snapdragon chips. This 800Mhz chip outperforms the 1Ghz chips in phones like the Google Nexus One. Online enthusiasts have already overclocked this chip to 1.9Ghz. With so many customizable features, this phone will be very future friendly for upcoming games and applications.